While tea leaves are important, water makes up the majority of a cup of tea! So, to make good tea, one thing you need is the right water temperature!
Description: “The Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Kettle makes it easy to ensure each tea steeps at the right temperature[.]”
Review: I had been considering writing this review for some time, but I kept pushing it to the back burner. However, when I was at the Toronto Tea Festival earlier this year, I ended up talking to someone about kettles! I realized there is an interest in this topic, so I thought the best place to start is with the kettles I’ve used in the past!
Background
At the very start of my tea journey, one of the first things I bought, after tea and spoons, of course, was an inexpensive electrical kettle. I remember it had an on-and-off switch and was the lowest-priced kettle at the store. I prefer electrical kettles because I can turn it on and not worry. That being said, I understand some people like the routine of boiling water over a stovetop and kettle whistling!
When I was looking for a kettle with more functions, I was still getting into tea. So, the idea of a kettle, like PerfecTemp Cordless Kettle, having pre-set buttons with temperatures for different types of teas was enticing! I also liked that it could hold a lot of water as my kitchen was downstairs, so I could fill up the kettle once and have enough tea for multiple sessions. I used this kettle for many years until I switched to a smaller kettle since I did not like spending extra energy heating a large kettle of water when I only needed 2 to 4 cups of water. I should also note that when I initially purchased this kettle, the section for electrical kettles was much more limited
With all that said, let’s go!
Features
The features listed below are from the Cuisinart website. I removed language that leaned toward marketing the kettle itself as I wanted to only highlight the components of the kettle:
- 1500 watts of power
- 1.7 L kettle capacity
- 6 preset temperature controls with blue LED indicators
- Cordless
- Overheat and boil dry protection
- 30-minute keep warm option
- Perfect Memory – holds settings when removed from base
- Dripless pour spout, stay-cool handle, and quick lid-release button
- Stainless steel housing
Testing
For a little over a month, I used the PerfecTemp Cordless Kettle as my main water kettle. I wanted to be fair when writing the review and testing for a month seemed like an appropriate amount of time. Especially since it had been some time since I last used this kettle consistently.
Starting from the top, I like the stainless steel finish. I’ve had my kettle for many years and it does have some scratches and imperfections but it has held up well as it was my go-to kettle. The large Open button for the lid is easy to press and also the only way to open the lid. The kettle opening is fairly large.
When it comes to the buttons at the top of the handle, the different temperatures, Start, and Keep Warm buttons were also easy for me to press down and I did not have to exert a lot of pressure. The configuration of the buttons is intuitive, going from low to high. Each time you press any of the buttons there is a beeping noise and an LED indicator lights up around the button. When you press the Start button, there is a white LED indicator and a blue LED indicator for the different temperatures and Keep Warm button. I appreciate that there are multiple indicators for the user in the form of visual, audible, and tactical feedback.
The pre-set water temperatures are in Fahrenheit. The temperatures are listed with the recommended tea type/French Press underneath. The pre-set temperatures are 160° (Delicate), 175° (Green), 185° (White), 190° (Oolong), 200° (French Press), and Boil (Black). That being said, if you need a lower temperature, the two options would be to bring the water up to the lowest temperature (160°) and let the water cool or add cool water.
For the most part, aside from a few specific situations, I found the pre-set buttons provided me with a wide enough range to brew most of my teas. However, for example, I have tasted Japanese green teas in the past that recommend 140°F or 60°C which is lower than the minimum temperature. When a tea required a temperature that was not one of the default pre-set, I used an instant-read thermometer to check.
The minimum water required for the kettle is 0.5 L or around 2 cups, which seems common in other kettles I’ve used. Once the water temperature is reached, the kettle will beep 3 times. The spout pours in a consistent stream and does not dribble (unless you are about to run out of water). The kettle is on the larger side as it holds up to 1.7 L of water and is therefore heavier. The handle is also wide because it has to accommodate the buttons, but my hand can wrap around it. It also remains cool to the touch.
For 1 L of water, it takes the kettle just shy of 4 minutes to reach boiling. As someone who boils water and forgets about it, the Keep Warm function is useful. The water is kept warm for 30 minutes. When I was reviewing the features of the kettle, I noticed a line about overheat protection. So to test it, I removed all the water from the kettle and turned it on. After a few seconds, the kettle beeped rapidly and the LED lights turned on and off. As for the boil dry protection, the kettle will not turn on when there is not enough water.
Update (Mar 30, 2024): In an effort to test the overheat protection feature, I may have broken the kettle as I can no longer get it to boil water to 160F. After I press the 160F button, the kettle tries to boil and then turns off on its own.
Lastly, the kettle is cordless and detaches from the base. Since I like brewing tea at my desk, this is a huge benefit. The base also has a gap running along the edge to wrap the cord around for cord management purposes. The kettle uses a 3-pronged plug.
Overview
Using this kettle again, I still liked it. The buttons are useful for someone who enjoys teas that use the default pre-set temperatures. If you like trying different teas, you can use an instant-read thermometer to be accurate. However, this would be no different than any other kettle that does not have a pre-set temperature function.
That being said, since my current kettle has veritable temperature settings (which means I can set it to any temperature), I am used to that convenience and accuracy. When reviewing teas, I normally will taste the tea using the recommendations from the company, so it is important to me that my water temperature is exact. This concern is not relevant to everyone.
This kettle may also be useful for people who need up to 1.7 L of water at once. As I tend to brew tea for 1 to 3 people, this kettle is a bit big and heavy and I like a slimmer handle profile as I have small hands. Overall, I am still glad I purchased this kettle early in my tea journey. I like the design of the buttons, the LED and beep indicator, and Keep Warm feature and I believe this kettle can serve someone well (3.5/5 rating).
- Company: Cuisinart
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